Nadi couple devastated, lose house in fire
Astruggling couple of Korovuto Settlement in Nadi were left devastated after they lost all they owned when their house was razed to the ground yesterday.
The incident has added to the struggles Keshni Lata, 45, a housemaid and her husband Subramani Kumar, a security guard have endured over the years.
Ms Lata could not hold back her tears yesterday as she watched 20 years of struggle go up in flames.
Their three-bedroom partially wooden-corrugated iron and concrete house and son’s vehicle were completely destroyed by fire. Mrs Lata said she was at work when she received a call that her house was on fire. “Why me? Why all these bad things had to happen to me? Where will I go with my family?” a tearful Mrs Lata said.
“In 1999, we build a small house but we continued to extend the building with the low income we receive.
“I had struggled a lot to buy some of the household items and contributed to the extension of the house.
“Working as a house girl for a Nadi family and from the little income I received I was able to help support my household.
“It was painful to see what we have struggled and sweated for throughout the years come to ruin. I have lost everything,” Mrs Lata added as she was consoled by neighbours.
Her husband was asleep inside the house when the incident happened.
“I had no idea how the fire started. I was sleeping and was woken up by calls from neighbours shouting my name and that there was a fire.
“There was black smoke inside the whole house as I made my way out. I have lost everything and I don’t know what else to do,” said the distraught husband.
According to officers at the Nawaicoba Police Post they were requested to attend to the incident to ensure the safety of the family. The National Fire Authority responded to the fire, but the house was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene.
Firefighters managed to contain the fire and prevented it from spreading to neighbouring houses.
NFA’s and Police investigations are under way to determine the cause of the fire.